It used to be the rule, here at the Politics Column, to grant even our devoted political junkies a few weeks to chill out after a long campaign season.
But the new political calendar devised by Democrats upon the Great Albany Takeover of 2019 changed all that. It now kicks in much earlier (designating petitions begin circulating in February), prompting the need to begin at least thinking about 2023 and electing a county executive.
Almost a year before a single vote is cast, Republicans and Democrats are already eyeing the contest.
In November of 2022, there appears to be little doubt that incumbent Democrat Mark Poloncarz will seek an unprecedented fourth term. Only the late Dennis Gorski ever even tried, losing to Republican Joel Giambra in 1999.
At the time, Gorski remained well regarded in just about all the polls. Voters in Erie County thought he was doing a good job. But the “shelf life” concept kicked in, Giambra campaigned on a message of “change,” and voters said Gorski’s days were over.
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Now Poloncarz finds himself at the same milestone, ready to test the political axiom that says those in executive positions eventually run out of steam. History, at least, will stand against him.
But the county executive seems ready to go (even though some still whisper the possibility of a major Albany appointment). Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner noted in August that Poloncarz was “gearing up,” and so is his team. He will invite a few hundred of his closest friends to his annual holiday party on Dec. 7, traditionally a major fundraiser. That will stoke his already healthy pot of about $281,000.
But Republicans want a say in this matter, too. Poloncarz represents only the second Democrat to hold the office since it was established in 1961. And the GOP usually fields competitive candidates, even in overwhelmingly Democratic Erie County.
So several Republican names are surfacing. They include State Sen. Ed Rath, who will leave office next month after losing his seat to Democrat Sean Ryan. Rep. Chris Jacobs will also return home from Washington next month after declining another term, and is a possibility. And an interesting new name is West Seneca Supervisor Gary Dickson, whose wife – Patti Stephens – is West Seneca Republican chairwoman. Indeed, some have long viewed the former FBI agent as a potential occupant of the Rath County Office Building’s 16th floor.
County Clerk Mickey Kearns is also entering the discussion, especially after an impressive victory on Nov. 8 over Democrat Missy Hartman. But Kearns is a Democrat whom the GOP has offered their line in several elections for the Assembly and clerk. But will they simply hand over nomination for the county’s top job to a Dem?
Michael "Mickey" Kearns declares victory over Eden Town Supervisor Melissa Hartman on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
All this will make for interesting politics in the new year, and it’s not far off.
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A few more tidbits from the campaign trail:
• More than one Democratic member of the State Legislature can be thankful on Thursday for help from the Western New York Area Labor Federation during the just-concluded election. Peter DeJesus, federation president, said union members knocked on 10,000 doors for state legislators with competitive races, including Pat Burke, Monica Wallace and Bill Conrad in the Assembly, as well as Sean Ryan in the Senate.
“Especially Sean Ryan,” DeJesus said. “He was at the top.”
• The departure of Conservative Legislator Joe Lorigo from County Hall for the State Supreme Court bench will require appointment of a registered Conservative to the vacancy. Erie County Conservative Chairman Ralph Lorigo says the replacement for his son, Joe, will be a Conservative. But new election laws also make it easy for a Republican to register as a Conservative. Hmmmm.
• Quote of the Week comes from Assembly Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support for embattled state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs: “If that’s who she supports, that’s who I support.”
